Teri Hatcher to quit 'Desperate Housewives'?

Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher is planning to quit the show, a report has claimed.

The actress, who plays Susan Mayer in the ABC series, has apparently told colleagues that the next season will be her last as she prepares to take on other projects. Her decision is said to have put the future of the show in doubt.

A source told The Mail On Sunday: "Teri has given in her notice and is making active preparations to move on. She has another production deal in the pipeline and she is in the early stages of developing a sitcom that she wants to start work on immediately after she finishes Desperate Housewives - she wants a new show in time for the mid-January pilot season."

Felicity Huffman is also alleged to be considering leaving the show. The source added: "ABC hasn't announced its schedule yet because the future of the series is up in the air. Desperate Housewives can't really continue without Teri or Felicity because they need the original stars to pull in the ratings."

A spokesperson for ABC said: "We are working on the next season at the moment and we haven't got anything to say about the one after."

In July, show creator Marc Cherry revealed that the drama could end after its ninth season.